The Marine never had a chance.
His boot caught on a root and he fell onto the ground, hard. His unit had been stationed to scout ahead for the Earth Forces, but even the strange Halo planet itself seemed set against them.
Winded, he scrambled to his feet. The heavy footsteps booming behind him seemed to jump-start the beating of his heart and he pulled himself up using a rock. His breath coming in ragged terrified gasps. The familiar feeling of terror began to creep into his limbs; the weak tingle that made fingers fumble on triggers and thoughts scatter to the wind.
He skidded through a gap in two rocks just as a huge explosion of plasma fire shattered them to pieces behind him. He was sent flying and hit a tree, weakly struggling to get to his feet again.
Blinking against the blood trickling from a gash in his forehead, he watched a shard of rock jump as the booming footsteps grew closer. They suddenly stopped as a shadow fell over him and his eyes widened in terror, looking up at the black and blue figure reaching down for him.
"Oh God! Please! No! I-urrrk!"
There was a ripping sound and the dusty ground was spattered with blood. The Marine's body was dropped with a thud and the creature lumbered off, it's footsteps making the shards of rock jump again. All the time, the Marine's listless eyes stared at the creature's retreating back.
The Marine never had a chance.
"Well?"
The Hunter half stepped, half hopped down the steep slope. Her companion noted the slight grin on her face reached her dark green eyes with a sparkle.
"I don't think the Human will be bothering us any more." She lopped over to the Arms container and punched in the security code. It slid open with a muted beep and a sharp-edged insignia flashed onto the display screen. She pulled out a chilled and pressurized silver canister of plasma and snapped it into the huge cannon on her arm.
"He wouldn't have found us if you hadn't been playing with the other humans." Her companion spoke to her turned back. She cast a lazy glance to the dead Humans lying under a tree barely a few Units away.
"You can't deny me my fun, T'Larc." She turned and eyed him up and down, "Even if you don't have the ability to stomach it." The male Hunter's spines straightened with a snap in anger.
"You're little 'fun' almost compromised the mission, T'Priel." He snarled. T'Priel grunted at the male and lopped away, continuing the patrol of the area that she was supposed to have been doing before the Human Marine showed up.
"Sometimes I wonder why I was bonded to you." T'Larc hissed after her. She gave the Hunter equivalent of a sigh; a harsh rattling sound made in their chest cavities.
"And I you…" She snapped back, hopping around the rock bluff that marked the inner ring of their territory. "…stiff-spined do'ssar." She swore to herself as she started patrolling the outer ring of the area.
She remembered the day they'd been Bonded together, as all warriors of their kind were. It hadn't been that long ago either – this was their fifth mission as a team together.
T'Priel closed her eyes, breathing in deeply; she remembered the familiar smell of the ceremonial smoke used in the ritual bonding, the feeling of tension in the room as the Hunters tried to anticipate who they'd be Bonded with.
:Do you see anything?:
The message cut through her thoughts, along the Bond T'Larc and she shared. Her eyes suddenly snapped open in irritation and she replied mentally – and somewhat viciously,
:No!:
She felt his presence in her mind fade and she continued the patrol. T'Larc had been the last Hunter she'd expected to be Bonded with; even whilst in training they'd never got along… and their relationship hadn't improved with time.
The purpose of the Bonding was that the two partners would together make a perfect whole. T'Larc was cunning - a brilliant strategist – whilst she was a fighter. Sure, he was a good fighter… but he'd never beaten her one-on-one. The same as she was an average battle coordinator – all Hunters had to be – but still not as good as T'Larc. Maybe the Prophets had hoped he'd influence her into being a more obedient soldier.
Yes… when the sky on her home planet turned blue.
As much as she hated to admit it though, she'd always felt irritatingly fond of him. He was always dependable; a constant that was always there to dig her out of whatever trouble she got herself – and sometimes him – into.
She shook her head - making her spines shudder - and half-smiled, continuing her lopping patrol of the perimeter.